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Struvite stones develop as a result of urinary tract infections by urease-producing bacteria. Here, we report the dynamics of in vitro crystallization of struvite at various pH using single diffusion gel growth technique. Sodium metasilicate gel and ammonium dihydrogen phosphate were used as a medium for growing the struvite crystals. The composition, crystalline nature, and surface morphology of the crystals were studied using FTIR spectroscopy, XRD, TGA, DSC, and SEM. The struvite crystals displayed different morphologies like dendritic, envelope and rectangular shapes at different pH. Crystal faces were different at opposite ends of the crystallographic axis of the struvite crystals. Large X-shaped crystals with dendritic growth having main trunk and branches were observed. SEM revealed the porous internal structure of struvite. The results indicate that pH has a significant effect on the morphology and growth of struvite crystals. The present study will provide evidence for the importance of pathological bio-mineralization and/or crystallization.

Introduction liver is the principal site for formation and clearance of lipoproteins in our body. Alcohol-induced fatty liver (steatosis) was believed to result from excessive generation of reducing equivalents from ethanol metabolism, thereby increasing fat accumulation. Liver disease is the greatest cause of death related to alcohol and a major public health problem especially in developing country. High alcohol consumption is a major cause of morbidity, yet alcohol is associated with both favorable and adverse effects on cardio metabolic risk markers. Methods After consent, the present study examined aged ≥ 35 years from Kathmandu between 2019 and 2020. Data on current drinking status, age, ethnic group, educational background, waist circumference, body mass index, blood pressure, and lipid profile was measured. Baseline venous blood sample was collected aseptically according to World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines with various inclusion and exclusion criteria. Processing was done in central diagnostic laboratory and research center. Results Out of 780 patients 17% were female and 83% were male. Mean ± standard deviation of age, bmi, waist circumference, hipcircumference, waisthipratio, blood pressure were 45.93 ± 10.92, 29.41 ± 2.98, 100.97 ± 7.0, 105.94 ± 6.5, 0.94 ± 0.1, and 132 ± 12/83 ± 17 respectively. TG/HDL-C ratio, LDL-C/HDL-C ratio, TG, cholesterol, and lipid accumulation product significantly higher in drinkers than normal reference range. Majority were ethnic group with low socioeconomic and literate background. Conclusions Abnormalities in lipid profile are correlated with alcohol consumption, which calls for intervention strategies to prevent dyslipidemia and control risk factors for cardiovascular disease. Alcohol consumption is associated with a complex metabolic signature, including aberrations in multiple biomarkers for elevated cardio metabolic risk factors.

Background: Formation of struvite stones is associated with urinary tract infection by urease-producing bacteria. Biogenic crystal growth in natural and synthetic materials is regulated by the action of inhibitors, ranging from small ions, molecules to large macromolecules. Materials and Methods: We report the dynamics of in vitro crystallization of struvite in presence of vitamin C in synthetic urine using single diffusion gel growth technique. Sodium metasilicate gel of specific gravity 1.05 and the aqueous solution of ammonium dihydrogen phosphate were used as the medium for growing the struvite crystals. The crystallization process was induced by a urease positive struvite stone associated Pseudomonas aeruginosa to mimic the infection leading to stone formation. The grown crystals were characterized by ATR-FTIR and powder XRD. The surface morphology was analysed through FE-SEM for comparison between treatments. Results: We observed decrease in number, dimension, and growth rate of struvite crystals with the increasing concentrations of vitamin C. Crystals displayed well-defined faces and dendritic morphology of struvite in both control and biogenic systems. Conclusion: The results strongly suggest that, vitamin C can modulate the formation of struvite crystals in the presence of uropathogenic bacteria.

The anticancer activity of crude extracts of the leaves of Tridax procumbens, against two breast cancer cell lines-MCF-7 (benign) and MDA-MB-231 (metastatic) were investigated and an attempt was made to identify the anticancer principle. The extracts with methanol (TPM), ethanol (TPE) and chloroform (TPC) as solvents were screened for cytotoxicity by MTT assay against MCF-7 cells. The effective extract was further evaluated on MDA-MB-231 cells. Among the three extracts, TPC was effective at an IC50 value of 136 µg/ml and 129 µg/ml on MCF-7 and MDA-MB-231 cells respectively. Phytochemical analysis of the extract showed the presence of only steroids and terpenoids and their concentration was high (77.4% w/w). HPLC-MS of the chloroform soluble crude extract revealed a major peak (57.59% concentration) at a retention time of 4.78 min and MS data of this peak revealed presence of two fragments of molecular weight 475.80 and 701.80. The compounds were identified to be 3β, 9β-Dihydroxy-18α-oleanan-28-oic acid, a derivative of oleanolic acid and 3β, 28-Bis (cinnamoyl) betulin respectively, both from the triterpenoid family.